UFC fighter Anthony Smith believes that Jake Paul would get ‘barbecued’ in an MMA fight with Conor McGregor.
Paul has recently been talking up his chances of beating the former UFC champion should the pair meet in the Octagon or the squared circle, as he looks to tee up another high-profile fight in his return to action, expected around August this year.
The YouTuber, boxing professional and fight promoter - with Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano to be shown live on DAZN - has been teasing UFC president Dana White over the course of the year about fighting under the franchise with a list of demands should he win, with nothing forthcoming.
“Conor is on a downhill spiral,” Paul said to TMZ. “His limbs are all broken. So, stand-up game, I’m coming out and knocking him out, first round.”
Smith believes that while a boxing match between the pair would be one thing, wrestling would be a different proposition etnireyl
“First of all, Conor’s half his size right now,” Smith said to MMA Fighting.
“People do miss that. Jake’s a big dude and he’s fighting short, stocky, wrestler welterweights. Jake Paul’s my size. He’s a big goddamn dude. He’s way north of 200 pounds. Him fighting Conor in a boxing match, that would probably be a pretty good fight, to be honest with you. But is he going to knock him out in an MMA fight? No. Not when Conor gets kicking — he’s going to kick Jake Paul’s head right off his shoulders.
“People say that Jake can wrestle a little bit so [he] might be able to keep it a little bit competitive for a minute or so. But no, in an MMA fight, he’s going to get barbecued.”
Smith also conceded that Paul has changed his opinion of him after his display in the ring and the effort he puts into his events.
“I’ve come around on Jake a little bit, too, to be honest with you,” Smith continued. “I still think he’s kind of a douchebag, but it’s OK to be a douchebag. He’s not my type of dude. I’m not sure he and I could hang out and be friends. If he’s truly out here trying to help people and get pay up — and it seems like he’s going into his own pocket to help people on his own shows and stuff — I have a hard time knocking that.
“I’ve always said, I don’t have any problem with him making money. If you can get it, get it. I think everyone has the right to compete if they want to. I’ve always stuck up for him and said that he has the right to compete. He has a right to be here. He has a place at the table.
“He trains hard, he takes it very serious. He busts his ass. He’s not as bad as people want to pretend. I got a lot of s— from the very beginning of this. Every fighter you talk to [says], ‘That dude sucks, he can’t fight, that dude is s—,’ and from the very beginning I said, ‘I don’t think so. I think he’s OK.’
“Is he going to beat anyone [who] I super respect their skills and abilities? Right now, no. But he’s a pretty skilled, really heavy-handed amateur, in my opinion. That dude can f— fight. People hate him so much, they forget that.”